Armenian National Committee of Eastern Massachusetts
47 Nichols Avenue
Watertown, MA 02472
617-926-1918
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
April 19, 2004
Contact: Suzan Ekizian
[email protected]; 617-926-1918
ANC OF EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS SPONSORS FUNDRAISER
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE KOUTOUJIAN
WATERTOWN, MA–The Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Eastern
Massachusetts recently held a fundraiser-reception in honor of State
Representative Peter Koutoujian. The event was hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Bedros
and Arev Der-Vartanian at their Belmont residence.
During the evening reception, members of the Armenian American community had
an opportunity to discuss various issues with the fourth-term State
Representative. Among the topics discussed were the November Presidential
elections, Rep. Kotoujian’s upcoming trip to Armenia, and the 2004
Homenetmen summer athletic games being held in Greater Boston.
“Rep. Koutoujian has been a champion and longtime advocate of many issues of
particular concern to the Massachusetts Armenian American community. We are
extremely grateful for his leadership and organized this event to honor his
efforts,” remarked ANC of Eastern Massachusetts representative Ivan
Ardhaldjian.
During the gathering, Rep. Koutoujian addressed the audience on a number of
local and state issues, the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, and the
importance to introduce non-Armenians to our rich heritage and culture.
Koutoujian underscored that he would continue to do everything in his power
to positively contribute to Armenia’s rebuilding process.
The Massachusetts State Representative represents the tenth Middlesex
district, which includes parts of Newton, Waltham, and Watertown. Rep.
Koutoujian currently holds the position of House Chairman of the Joint
Committee on Health Care. He holds a Masters degree in Public Affairs from
the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Throughout his tenure in office, Rep. Koutoujian has pursued a number of
issues to help benefit Armenia. In the field of democracy, he was selected
by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe
the May 2003 Parliamentary elections in Armenia.
In the field of health care, he hosted a forum at the Massachusetts State
House with Armenian Health Minister Dr. Norayr Davidian and Massachusetts
Department of Public Health Commissioner Christine Ferguson. During the
forum, Rep. Koutoujian pledged to further cooperation between Massachusetts
and Armenia in the healthcare sector. He also recently offered to share
smoke reduction programs, which have been successfully implemented in
Massachusetts, with Armenia.
Additionally, Rep. Koutoujian is an annual host of the Massachusetts State
House commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.
The Armenian National Committee is the largest Armenian American grassroots
political organization in Massachusetts and nationwide. The ANC actively
advances a broad range of issues of concern to the Armenian American
community.
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